Electro-Voice X-Line Advance powers the college baseball party in Omaha

Electro-Voice X-Line Advance powers the college baseball party in Omaha

Each June the city of Omaha is invaded by roughly 300,000 college
baseball fans over the two weeks when the city hosts the NCAA’s college
baseball championship tournament. Just outside the stadium is the Omaha
Baseball Village, located at the parking lot of The Old Mattress Factory
Bar & Grill, a local-favorite sports bar. With family-friendly
activities by day and DJ-driven parties by night, “The Matt” is the
go-to place for hanging out near the stadium.

Event producer
Pinnacle Productions (Sioux Falls, SD) decided the time had come for a
better sound system, so Pinnacle founder Chris Hintz brought in NLFX
Professional of Bemidji, MN to complement their lighting, video and
staging. NLFX Pro President Ben Stowe chose an Electro-Voice X-Line
Advance system for the job. “They needed full-volume coverage for DJ
parties that draw 8000 on a good night,” he says. “We knew the EV X2
system would be perfect for that.”

Stowe’s system design consisted
of twin eight-box X2-212 line arrays, with six 90-degree boxes flying
above two 120-degree models. Beneath the stage, eight X12-128 subwoofers
kicked out plenty of low-frequency energy to keep the party moving. The
entire system was powered by 12 Electro-Voice TG7 amplifiers, each
equipped with RCM-28 OMNEO network and DSP modules.

The system
created smooth, even coverage across The Matt, while its networking
ability allowed Stowe to customize the volume levels. “We wanted full
volume the first 100 feet or so, then there’s a giant beer tent and all
the food vendors,” he explains. “So I engineered a 10 dB drop out there
so that the vendors could work effectively. For the people up front,
there was still plenty of volume. In fact, I had 20 dB of headroom to
spare, so everyone was happy.”

To ensure sufficient volume on
stage, NLFX Pro installed an Electro-Voice ETX-35P three-way loudspeaker
coupled with an ETX-18P subwoofer at both ends of the booth on stage.
“Lots of DJs like it extremely loud, so we made sure they had what they
wanted,” says Stowe. Performers included national artists like DJ
Skribble, Kryoman, James Kennedy, and DJ Spryte, along with top local
talent like DJ JAB.

Entertainment producer and talent booker Leah
Johnson reports that that the X-Line Advance system was a clear upgrade.
“The EV system was an incredible step up for us, and Ben from NLFX Pro
was fantastic to work with,” she says. “It really improved the entire
experience for concert-goers at The Matt. We were very impressed.”

The
X2 system handled 13 nights of Omaha weather, from blazing sun to
torrential rains. “The stage was covered, but the main arrays were
exposed,” Stowe notes. “Those boxes got plenty wet, but we never had a
failure. When we get home, we’ll take them apart and drain them, and
they’ll be as good as new. That’s why I love using the X2 outdoors: It
delivers the reliability and control we need with the sound the customer
wants.”